Clemenceau’s Daughters

The Ballards live in the shadow of July Mountain. They are one step shy of overcoming the taint of poverty dogging the family since the Great Depression. During the excess of the modern 1980s, the Tennessee Valley still harbors a passing respect for the unexplainable and superstition. Roots cling to family trees like tendrils that tangle and tear to claim, not just birthrights, but bloodrights.

Folks tend to die around Little Debbie Ballard. She struggles to make sense of a world where the unspoken past and prejudice collide, where truth is no longer as simple as Daddy’s word, and cruel intentions transcend generations. Debbie must face the insidious legacy that haunts the women of her family, one by one.

I’m often asked about the inspiration for my dark novel Clemenceau’s Daughters. It all boils down to a creepy photo I found in an old family album. Nothing will raise the hair on your arm like flipping through pictures from the early 1900s and coming face to face with your daughter.

Readers’ Favorite announced that “Clemenceau’s Daughters” by Rocky Porch Moore won the Honorable Mention in the Fiction – General category. The contest featured thousands of contestants from over a dozen countries, ranging from new independent authors to NYT best-sellers and celebrities.

How often is it that an artist is commissioned to paint death on a faceless doll? Your friendly neighborhood horror novelist needed a little creep factor straight out of the pages of Clemenceau’s Daughters.